Without Escape
by Jaden Schwarz
Summary: Hyuuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto are college students, worlds apart in social standing. Yet under certain circumstances, they start off pretty bad with an eventful first meeting. Neji wants to keep away, but will Naruto let him escape? What happens when others, especially women, get thrown in the mix?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER****: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. - It's all Kishimoto Masashi's property.**

**This is just a fanfic, made from a fan for fans.**

**AUTHOR'S Note****: AU, several pairings apart from main one, Rated M for language, explicit intimate scenes and yaoi.**

* * *

It never ceased to amaze him how many people fawned all over that sorry excuse of a human being. Everyone kept tagging along and catering to his every whim. Then he'd laugh like the idiot he was, make some unintelligent remark and throw everyone off track.

_Yes, that's Uzumaki Naruto all right,_ Neji thought to himself. A village idiot whom somehow everybody appeared to love. How that dude managed to enter college with such high grades, was beyond him. It's not like he had any special circumstances or background, that could have been of any help. And yet, there he was, annoying the living hell out of Neji, with his brash demeanor and boyish, roguish looks. Their first meeting had been awful and it was impossible for him to come to like the blond ever since.

Taking fast, long strides, he hoped he could avoid a chance meeting with the said dork. If only he could be so lucky just for once. Footsteps echoed down the corridor from the direction he was heading towards to. Before he had enough time to turn around and run for it - he was no coward, any sensible man would certainly do so - Uzumaki Naruto, the man himself showed up with his usual companions. It saddened and irritated Neji to no end, that his cousin, Hinata, was actually one of them.

He steeled himself and made sure he exhibited a cool and collected expression. He wouldn't let them see how much they affected him, especially since he himself had no idea why this was happening either. Laughter erupted probably due to some joke, lame for sure, Uzumaki made. Hinata was looking at him like some lovestruck puppy.

Neji cringed internally, but kept his thoughts to himself like always. No matter what he said, his cousin wouldn't heed his words at this point anyway. Why should he even bother then?

As he reached the small crowd, he noticed that Uchiha Sasuke was among them. Another inexplicable mystery of the universe that his quite reasonable brain failed to solve. The Uchihas had always been intelligent, powerful, filthy rich and proud to a fault. Why such a man would loiter around an idiot was beyond his comprehension. Even though he mostly kept to himself or grumbled short responses, he looked as if he actually enjoyed the company. Neji had always seen him hanging with Uzumaki after all.

Not showing the least bit concerned about the ruckus around him, the young Uchiha met his eyes steadily and greeted him with a slight nod of his head. Neji did the same. The motion caught the blond's eye though, who immediately came to a halt, a broad smile lighting his face.

"Neji!", he approached him in two long strides, as if eager to greet a close friend. Everyone was standing awkwardly, jaw-dropped at the casual greeting. They were used to be given the cold shoulder, and even though they acknowledged him, they knew better than taking any liberties with him and kept their distance. Uzumaki, the bastard, didn't.

Neji gave a curt nod and ignored the questioning looks pointed at him or the flood of questions coming from the blond menace. Instead he walked towards his cousin, who was timid, almost scared in his presence as usual, and handed her the invitation to the Hyuuga gathering, that would be held at their mansion the following week.

"Your presence is required."

"Um, yes, of course. I shall attend with my parents."

Neji took a moment to examine the young woman standing in front of him a little better. Long, raven colored, shiny hair, unblemished, pale skin and ice blue eyes. Hinata held a remarkable beauty, befitting of a member of the Hyuuga family, but she was way too shy for his liking. It seemed she somehow managed to work around that issue, where Uzumaki was concerned though. Oh well, as long as things worked out for her, it was fine by him.

"I shall take my leave then."

Not one to idle around, Neji started past them.

"Wait a second, Neji!", the blond held his arm in a firm grip, not letting go. Everything seemed frozen as he cast a cool glare over his shoulder to the owner of the offensive hand.

"Is anything amiss, _mister_ Uzumaki?", he managed through clenched teeth, not bothering the least to hide his annoyance.

Hinata chose that moment to step in, removing the guy's hand from his arm, anxiety pouring out from her in volumes.

"Formal attire?", she asked quietly.

"That's a given."

"H-how about um... escorts?"

Now _that_ was a question he never saw coming.

"Allowed. Expected. In some cases recommended."

He didn't think she'd have the nerve to ask anyone, but then again she was trying so hard to rescue her _friend_ at the moment, that he definitely admired her for the effort she put to distract him.

"If that is all, I will be taking my leave. Don't hover. Classes have started five minutes ago.", he reminded them before turning to leave. Neji was utterly disgusted with himself for being affected this much by that guy's every movement.

He always had issues with people getting too cozy with him, so having someone, whom he couldn't even tolerate being around, touch him so casually, irritated him more than he'd like to admit. Hopefully there wouldn't be any more encounters with the idiot for the rest of the week. He slammed the door of his car and drove away. A man could only hope.

* * *

**A small intro for my next fic, Naruto-centered apparently. 3 You can't even imagine just how excited I am!**

**I'm hoping for a weekly or biweekly update. Look forward to it! ~  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. - It's all Kishimoto Masashi's property.**

**This is just a fanfic, made from a fan for fans.**

**AUTHOR'S Note: AU, several pairings apart from main one, Rated M for language, explicit intimate scenes and yaoi.**

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the support thus far! I really appreciate it!**

* * *

_It all started two months ago…_

"Come on! Do me this little favor and I'll owe you for life, I swear!"

"I already said no, Ino! I don't want to waste my time on useless shit."

"What if I say _please_?"

"It's still a no! Besides you're the one who's been entrusted with the task by that friend of yours. It's got nothing to do with me!"

"I beg you Naruto. Kiba and I will be back before you even know it! It's only going to be a couple of days anyway!"

"Ino…", Naruto whined exasperated with his friend.

"Please, please, _please_!"

Letting out a deep, deliberate sigh, Naruto whirled around and pinned her with a glare.

"What did you say I'd have to do?"

"Thank you! I knew I could count on you!"

"Yeah, yeah… I pity myself already, so no more stalling. Get to the point."

"I've cleaned up like I was supposed to and took care of everything. You only have to air the house and water the plants in the morning."

"Ugh. I'll have to get up early, won't I?"

"No. Not really. It's pretty close to your place. Fifteen to twenty minutes on foot max."

"Thank God for small favors…"

"Just don't forget to air the house properly. That guy is a total neat freak. He'll flip if you don't and somehow he always knows everything. Such a creep for someone this young…"

"You know, not all people like to keep their living space filthy, untidy and smelly the way you do, Ino."

She glared at him and dug an elbow in his ribs, making him gasp painfully.

"Anyway, he'll be away for the next two weeks on a business trip."

"Didn't you say before he is around our age?", he managed out still hunching over his side.

"Ah… yeah, he is. He's actually a student in our department, but he-"

Her phone rang that very moment cutting her off. Naruto felt instantly relieved and thankful for the interruption.

What kind of college student has a big house and runs off to business trips?_ Probably some loaded, snotty dude._

Once again curiosity got the better of him, but he kept his thoughts to himself. If he asked Ino about it, the woman would never cease her rambling. As soon as she finished talking on the phone, she got back.

"Want me to take you to the house and show you around a bit?"

"Fine! But if you pull another stunt like the one just now, you can kiss my ass goodbye, got it?"

"Well…", she drawled, her eyes following the curve of Naruto's ass mischievously.

"Forget it! Keep your eyes off of me, woman!"

"You know I freaking love you, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah… Let's get going."

She laughed heartily at the miserable face he feigned and wrapped an arm around his waist pulling him towards the door.

* * *

Studying marketing had been the starting point, but turning twenty-one signaled officially Neji's active involvement in the family business. As the future head of the Hyuuga corporations, he started attending meetings and having dinners with clients and partners to get the gist of the work waiting for him ahead. Sometimes he even had to travel abroad on weekends for the most important company related matters.

It was the first time he was handling a case entirely on his own and he absolutely had to strike a deal. It would be an important factor for his future in the business. Since his client was located in Europe, Neji had to go and make the best of his time there. Even if he failed with this one, he still had a back-up plan - less profitable but more beneficial long-termly.

The trip was supposed to last two weeks long and as much as he hated depending on others, requesting his parents for notes from the classes he'd miss or even house-sitting, were most certainly out of question. Tenten had offered to do both for the time he'd be gone and seeing as he probably wouldn't be getting many offers like that, he had partially accepted her help regarding his notes. Ino would be the one taking care of his house.

He'd called Tenten twice from the airport, anxious she'd do something reckless like showing up at his place when Ino was around – now _that_ wouldn't end well for sure – and a few more times from his destination to check up on things. Tenten was probably trying to fit everything in her already strict schedule between college and work, but she would never voice any complaints towards him whatsoever. In fact their last conversation hadn't ended so well either, making Neji speed things up and completing his task in half the time he'd thought he would need.

All he wanted now was to spend a weekend leisurely away from work, college and distractions of any sort. Exhausted from his trip, he headed straight home. He'd inform everyone of his arrival that same evening or the day after. No one was expecting him before next week anyway.

Upon entering he noted with some sense of satisfaction that Ino had done everything perfectly during the time he was away and the uneasiness that was constantly clinging to him wore off dramatically.

"Well that's a first for her…"

He still mourned that beautiful carpet that had been ruined by some sort of unidentified liquid substance the last time he left her in charge of his place. Apparently she had thought that she could use the house to her liking and throw parties during his absence. When he'd gotten back, pure chaos and destruction greeted him. Even the kitchen table was cracked for crying out loud! God knows what kind of activities it had been used for… He had been forced to throw half of his stuff out.

Regrettably she was also the only person he allowed anywhere near his home and the one he trusted irrevocably with access to his personal life and space.

Entering his bedroom on the first floor, he laid his suitcase on the bed, immediately starting unpacking. As soon as he was done, he undressed and in a matter of mere seconds he'd hopped in the shower. No better way to relieve stress than steaming hot water. After finishing his shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and decided to grab a little something to eat before going to bed.

Going down the stairs he noticed with alarm that the veranda doors were open ajar. A quick glance around the house showed no signs of intrusion.

_It must be Ino. She didn't know I'd be coming back today… No, it's Friday. She should be in class right now._

Still on guard he walked quietly towards the open doors to scan the garden outside. The entire place was empty as far as he could see and since the alarm system hadn't gone off, everything should be fine. Most of the anxiety he felt moments ago left his body and he felt relaxing. Until he heard some metallic noise coming from the little storage room, where he kept his gardening tools. He approached cautiously the nearest window to take a look inside. The tension came back, but all the years of training in martial arts and self-defense gave him the calmness and stealth he needed in cases like this.

More noise and clattering came from inside. Now he was certain someone was there and his friend was allergic to tools or hard work when it came to housework or gardening activities. He crouched low so that he wouldn't be seen by the intruder. Been taken by surprise can be a great disadvantage and Neji didn't want to risk it.

He chanced a look inside and… nothing. Yet he could still hear the same clinging noise from earlier, as if someone was searching through the tools in the room. A shovel slid down the wall hitting _something_.

"Ouch!"

The voice was loud enough to be heard clearly through the wooden walls. It was a man.

"Stupid piece of junk! Where the hell are the damn pruning hooks?"

Hands rubbing a blond head could be seen behind the worktable. Getting up the man threw the gardening gloves he was wearing on the floor, frustration pouring out of his body in volumes. He kept glancing around still looking for the tool he needed. Neji felt somewhat reassured. If that young man was here to work, then Ino must have sent him. He hadn't asked her to do anything apart from a little cleaning in the house and watering the plants.

He decided it'd be best if he showed himself sooner rather than later. Pruning hooks could be used as a weapon and a lethal one at that, if the man was let's say by any chance mentally unstable. It didn't look like it was the case here, but Neji wasn't sure he wanted to find out either. He walked to the door and stood there till the blond took notice of him. When he did, his expression showed surprise, but then it hardened all of a sudden.

"Well aren't you a sneaky one?"

That was definitely _not _the thing Neji expected to hear, so he remained mute and immobile.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Watch your language."

"Right. Let me rephrase for you, your _majesty_. Who in the fucking flying hell are you?", he spat, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Neji took a few steps towards the man, his anger building up at the sudden aggressiveness coming from the stranger.

"I will not tolerate any graphic language. Understood?"

"Are all lunatics as uptight and proper as you are?"

"Pardon?"

"How did you come in? Cause I sure as hell locked the door behind me."

So the man mistook Neji for an intruder. It made sense. After all there were no pictures around the house and Ino wouldn't take the trouble of showing him any either. He was probably not supposed to even meet him, considering the fact that his arrival was expected a week later.

"Apparently I have a key to this place…"

"Are you…?"

"…seeing as I actually live here and all."

"_You_ are the neat freak?", the blond inquired with a spark of sudden interest and gave Neji a good once-over. Only now did he notice how _lightly_ he was dressed. Yet the man only showed signs of appreciation towards him, making him feel all the more self-conscious due to his state of undress.

"What is your name?" , he asked desperately trying to distract the other man.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Did Ino ask you to come over?"

"She did. I was supposed to air the house and water the plants for a couple of days, but the roses need some pruning badly, so I was going to do just th-…"

Naruto leaned down to catch the gloves, accidentally knocking the shovel in the process. Neji rushed over to catch it before it hit him again, but with much less grace than he would have liked. The blond breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to face Neji.

"Thanks man! Looks like that thing hates me toda-… Holy shit! Why are you _flashing_ me?"

Due to the sudden movement, the towel previously wrapped around Neji's waist – and his only piece of clothing at the time – fell off. Naruto was now face to face with his nether region and neither of the men looked particularly happy about it.

"I was actually saving your head. Guess something went wrong in the process."

"I'm scarred for life."

"How unfortunate."

With as much dignity as he had left, Neji bent down to get his towel, wrapped it tightly around his waist and walked back towards the house. He stepped on something soft which made him look down. In his hurriedness to check if there was someone around, he got out barefoot and he had just stepped in dung. Great! Now he'd need another shower and a drink to forget the humiliation he had just gone through. Gritting his teeth he continued his way towards the house looking much more dignified than he actually felt.

Naruto let out a soft chuckle hearing the frustrated man muttering curses in that throaty voice of his.

"What a weird fellow…"

Shaking his head thoroughly amused at the incident, he went back to work. The neat freak would definitely take some time to scrub his skin raw, before looking for him again.

* * *

**What are your thoughts on their first meeting guys? I'm a little hesitant with the whole AU thing, **

**so I tried to keep their characters as close to the original as possible. **

**This 'house chapter' is split in two parts for better sorting and editing. **

**I'll update with the rest sometime during weekend. Pinky swear! :) Comment and review ~**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. - It's all Kishimoto Masashi's property.**

**This is just a fanfic, made from a fan for fans.**

**AUTHOR'S Note: AU, several pairings apart from main one, Rated M for language, explicit intimate scenes and yaoi.**

* * *

Satisfied with the result of his work, Naruto put all the gardening tools back in the storage room and headed towards the house. He wasn't particularly happy he would have to deal with the arrogant man again – curse Ino and his own stupidity for agreeing to help her – but still, it was the right thing to do. Hopefully, he wouldn't see him around and Naruto would be able to slip quietly out, leaving a note perhaps on his way out.

Climbing the porch stairs hastily, he palmed his cellphone still in his jeans' right pocket, and the house keys in his left one. He ought to make sure the prick got them sooner rather than later, or he'd surely call the cops on him or box his ears the very least.

The balcony doors were still wide open, but Hyuuga Neji was nowhere in sight, which worked just fine for him. With quick long strides he went for the door. As he walked past the stairs that led to the upper floor, the sound of running water reached his ears.

_So the weirdo is still in the shower… Must be hard on such a neat freak to step on dung._

Smirking Naruto crossed the threshold and made his way to the kitchen, where he'd seen earlier a pen and a notepad lying on the counter. Finishing his message, he ripped the page of the pad and put it on the kitchen table, placing the keys right on top of it. Thinking on the day's earlier events, he recalled the hilarious incident. The look on the other man's face was murderous and ridiculously funny. The ringing of his cellphone that moment disrupted his reverie.

"I'm done here.", he mumbled distracted to no one in particular.

With a quick glance at the caller's ID, he flipped it open and answered, before the sound alerted the man - conveniently busy upstairs - to his presence inside the house.

"You here yet? Good, I'll be right out."

Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he took a look around the house to make sure everything was in place, and promptly walked out the front door, never noticing Hyuuga Neji standing at the top of the stairs, his eyes fastened on him.

Sasuke was waiting for him leaning on the hood of his car in front of the gates. Naruto approached him, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His friend was giving off badass vibes and yet he didn't look out of place in this rich, quiet neighborhood. Quite the opposite. Apparently in Sasuke's case, being rich – and an ass – didn't necessarily lead to arrogance and a needlessly boosted ego.

Punching him on the shoulder playfully, Naruto made his way around the car and opened the passenger's door. Sasuke looked at him, a mocking smirk curling his mouth.

"Did you have _fun_?"

"Don't even remind me! I'll kill Ino for this!"

"Didn't know you were allergic to house chores."

"No, but the guy living here gets testy upon finding strangers in his house."

That caused Sasuke to stop short in his tracks.

"Wasn't he supposed to be out of town?"

"Well apparently he decided to return earlier than expected."

"Shit, man. Push the blame on Ino."

"Hell! I fully intend to!"

The dark-haired man chuckled at the irritation in his friend's voice. He opened the driver's door and seated himself. Naruto did the same, sighing dramatically.

"Can we go grab something to eat now? This shit took longer than I initially thought and I'm starving."

"Sure thing. Ramen?"

"Yeah…", the blond replied, his mood better already at the mere mention of food. Closing the door shut, he turned to Sasuke grinning wickedly and wiggled his eyebrows.

"By the way… I saw him naked."

"Wha-?"

"And he was hung like a horse!"

"Fuck."

"YEAH!"

* * *

Sitting on opposite sides of the table, they were having lunch facing each other. Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off of Naruto, who was now chunking down the pork from his third bowl of shio ramen. It had always been the kid's favorite. Weird how after all this time, he would still think of him as a kid. That was probably the reason he felt so protective of him after all. The blond though was more than capable of handling himself in any situation he found himself in. Still, Sasuke didn't like it when idiots would make their own assumptions or tried to hurt Naruto, be it verbally or physically. And Hyuuga, honorable as he may be in the business department, was in fact nothing more than an arrogant, pompous jerk. His being around his friend naked – undoubtedly an accident, he knew that now – only reeled him further.

The blond finished his meal and lifting the glass to his lips, he took a few sips of water.

"Man, I'm stuffed!"

"I was wondering whether you'd take a chunk out of me as well along with the meat in your plate."

"Ah, well…", Naruto drawled squinting his eyes against the afternoon sunlight, "you _do_ look positively edible in those tight jeans of yours."

Sasuke took the teasing in good stride, smiling a bit and kicking Naruto's leg lightly under the table.

"You bastard! You only want me for my body!"

They both burst out laughing simultaneously, making many heads to turn towards their direction. Wiping tears from his eyes, his cheeks awfully flushed, Naruto looked at his companion amused.

"By the way, do you know that guy?"

"Hyuuga?"

"Yeah."

"Not really. Our families move in the same social circles, so I've seen him around for years. But Itachi is the one handling most of our company and financial affairs, so I suppose he's the one who might know a bit more. I do know however, that he's Hinata's cousin."

"Hinata? From college?"

"That one."

"Wow…"

"Polar opposites, I know."

"Think he's gonna chew Ino out? For sending me as her replacement I mean."

"Are you really worried?"

"He didn't seem particularly friendly and I left without explaining much. I did leave a note though."

"Don't worry about him. I doubt he'll mind much after he sees the results of your work."

"Heh! I don't want to brag about it, but I outdid myself this time. I'm the _flow-ow-ower whisperer_!"

Sasuke chuckled good-naturedly.

"Freaking flower boy…"

"You know you love me, babe!"

"Don't be disgusting!"

"Why, yes, you _pooh-bear_", Naruto crooned, "you can't live without me!"

With a conspiratorial grin, he turned to the company of girls sitting a couple of tables away from them and added in a loud enough to be heard whisper.

"He's always so shy about his feelings, and yet so _fierce_ in bed!"

The girls laughed happily at the obvious play between the two young men. Only one of them was smiling softly and kept quiet.

"Hinata!", Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

"Hello Naruto. Uchiha."

"Why didn't you say anything? Geez! Are you _that _embarrassed to be seen with us?"

Hinata jumped out of her seat, her face turning a bright shade of crimson, hands gesturing wildly around her.

"N-no! It's not like t-that! You're not embarrassing me! I just thought- just th-that you needed time to yourselves. N-nothing more!"

The blond gave her a blinding smile, soothing her distress instantly.

"Calm down! I'm only teasing you, dummy. Want you girls to join two terribly boring miscreants such as ourselves?"

"That would be great!"

"Yes, we'll join you! I'm Sakura by the way", the third girl interjected, her eyes obviously lingering on Sasuke much longer than necessary, "and this is Tenten."

"I'm Naruto and this is my friend Sasuke."

"Nice to meet you guys."

Sasuke kept his expression cool, his gaze landing briefly on Hinata, but showed no further sign of acknowledgement. Naruto used to his friend's manners and tactics, motioned a waiter to join the girls' table with theirs.

"Never mind him, ladies. We were about to order dessert. So, how about some chocolate soufflé?"

"That would be heavenly!", Tenten and Sakura exclaimed at once, settling in with the new company right away.

"I'd love s-some as well.", Hinata added timid as ever.

"Well then, chocolate _orgy_ it is!", Naruto finished mischievously, sending the three into fits of laughter and earning a glare and a hard kick from Sasuke. He stuck his tongue out and winked at him. His friend would have to learn to be a tad more sociable. He wanted to extract information after all, and he had every intention to succeed, Hyuuga Neji bedamned!

* * *

**Yes! Third chapter is up at last. Old fashioned me, always write each chapter first and type it aftewards. **

**It's an easy way to somewhat edit the final draft myself too. So what do you guys think about this one? **

**New faces show up & they will create chaos. I just know it! ~ Wait for the next update, soon! ~**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. - It's all Kishimoto Masashi's property.**

**This is just a fanfic, made from a fan for fans.**

**AUTHOR'S Note: AU, several pairings apart from main one, Rated M for language, explicit intimate scenes and yaoi.**

* * *

By Monday morning, Neji was much calmer. At least he thought so, considering the fact that he didn't want to strangle Ino anymore for her stupidity and for allowing a complete stranger into his house. And it was somewhat comforting, that Tenten wasn't particularly pushy, when they spoke on the phone earlier and his hard work from the previous week had been met with approval and satisfatiction from his family and the other board members. He could relax a bit now and attend his classes without disruptions for a while.

He drove to the campus, thinking back on that fateful Friday afternoon, that his dignity had fallen apart due to a particular blond, blue-eyed stranger. He could still hear that tantalizing voice addressing him, those bright eyes piercing him with obvious disdain, the shocked face that greeted him upon his mishap, the amusement at his shattered dignity. Uzumaki Naruto was a menace. A punishment sent from God for all his past mistakes. Neji was sure of it now.

_I promise I will be more cautious from now on and behave myself._

Neji had never been a supersticious or even religious man, but it never hurt anyone to appease the greater forces of the universe - well, you know, just to be safe and all that.

He parked his car near the parking lot exit, so that he'd able to leave before the staring started. As the Hyuuga heir, many were those who had tried to approach him in the past with not-so-noble motives, and even though those people knew by now that he was not someone to triffle with, there were still many, who crowded around him just to stare or grab the opportunity to introduce themselves should one appear.

Neji picked his books and strode towards the main building, where most of his classes took place. Crossing one of the corridors, he caught sight of Uchiha and the one-who-should-never-be-mentioned walking towards the entrance, and stopped midstep.

_So they come here together as well?_

He was surprised to say the least, when he saw Uzumaki sneaking out of the house on the day of their first - and hopefully - only meeting. Neji was sure the man would be loud or at least wait for him and try to take advantage of their acquaintance, but instead he found him slipping away quietly, when he wasn't around. However Neji was even more honest-to-God shocked when he saw Uchiha Sasuke waiting in front of his house for the other man. And apparently, from what he had witnessed that very morning, it was not a one-time thing either.

_Who would have thought?_

The sight of long, blond hair made him whip around quickly and walk towards the person's direction.

_Ino! _

He was certain he would start to loathe the specific haircolor soon enough. Afterall he found himself already more than peeved at a mere glimpse of it.

His earlier calm in tatters, Neji strode towards his friend catching her arm in a vice-lice grip. Huge, round eyes fastened on his face.

"Oh shit..."

"You are dead.", the words quiet but laced with anger and frustration.

"I really, really, really didn't mean any harm! Please don't kill me!"

If looks could kill... well, if looks could kill, Neji would have ridden himself a whole lot of trouble. Glaring at Ino and irritated by her damsel-in-distress act, he failed to notice the presence behind him until he heard the voice.

"I think that's enough."

Not bothering to turn around or even aknowledge the man, he shot one last death glare at his friend and walked past her. It took a lot of restraint not to have both their heads, but he wasn't one to cause a scene in public.

Turning down the corner to his classroom a hand on his bicep stopped him abruptly. Despite the lack of pressure or force, it was strong and demanding just the same. Neji stiffened, but still refused to turn around. The fact that there were no more students around, but the two of them, only succeeded in intensifying his distress.

"I don't think you should take it out on her."

"I trusted her and once again she failed me."

"Those are some harsh words. Besides you needed someone to do some chores while you were not around, and despite how things went", Naruto circled around Neji and positioned himself in front of him, "I was undoubtedly the best man for the job".

His gaze locked with Neji's, those blue eyes never once wavering. He didn't look condenscending, but earnestly worried about Ino - or so Neji thought. However he refused to respond to Naruto's statement about his skills.

"I would never have hurt her. That would be most disgraceful and undignified."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up in surprise. The sincerity of those words struck him like a punch in the gut. So the dark-haired man was not only arrogant and cranky, but astute and somewhat considerate as well. Indeed when he saw Ino cornered and freaked out upon entering the building, he was worried about her. But now he felt like an idiot for even thinking that the man in front of him would act anything but civilized.

Hyuuga Neji pursed his lips and shot a look of disapproval at Naruto's hand still gripping his arm. Naruto followed his gaze and pulled it away as if burned.

"Sorry about that...", he mumbled, his previous brazeness all but forgotten. Hyuuga nodded stiffly and walked away, leaving him standing alone, his eyes following the other man's form till he was out of sight.

"What was that about?"

Naruto jumped startled at the sound of Sasuke's voice.

"Uh, nothing I guess..."

Stealing a last glance over his shoulder where Hyuuga Neji had disappeared off to, he turned abruptly and walked to the opposite direction.

"Come on, Sasuke. Class is about to start."

_And I have some thinking to do too. Hm..._


End file.
